What is a oligarchy ruled by?
Broadly speaking, an oligarchy is a form of government characterized by the rule of a few persons or families. More specifically, the term was used by Greek philosopher Aristotle in contrast to aristocracy, which was another term to describe rule by a privileged few.
What type of government is ruled by a few?
Oligarchy, meaning “rule of the few”, is a form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people might be distinguished by nobility, wealth, family ties, education or corporate, religious or military control.
What is an oligarchy quizlet?
oligarchy means “rule by the few” 2. few people hold all the power based on military strength, family power, or religious force. 3. Oligarchies can often come from or lead to other forms of government like monarchies and dictatorships.
Is an oligarchy is a government in which only a few people have power?
An oligarchy is a government in which only a few people have power. That fact is true. Greece is considered the birthplace of democracy, which is a type of government in which people rule themselves. The oligarchy in Athens lasted until one noble overthrew the government and ruled it alone as a tyrant.
What is the difference between an oligarchy and a dictatorship?
The difference between an oligarchy and a dictatorship is an oligarchy is a government with a small group of people usually members of the same group that has all power, and a dictatorship is a government when a person controls the government and takes it over arggressively.
Who holds the power in an oligarchy?
In an oligarchy (OH-lih-gar-kee), a small group of people has all the power. Oligarchy is a Greek word that means “rule by a few.” Sometimes this means that only a certain group has political rights, such as members of one political party, one social class, or one race.
What are characteristics of oligarchy?
The people who hold the power in an oligarchy are called “oligarchs” and are related by characteristics such as wealth, family, nobility, corporate interests, religion, politics, or military power. Oligarchies can control all forms of government, including constitutional democracies.
Which is the best description of an oligarchy?
Oligarchy, government by the few, especially despotic power exercised by a small and privileged group for corrupt or selfish purposes.
How is oligarchy a tarnished form of aristocracy?
In this sense, oligarchy is a tarnished form of aristocracy. Most classic oligarchies formed when the governing elites were exclusively from a ruling class. A ruling class is a group of people who are set apart from the rest of society by family ties, economic status, prestige, religion, or even language.
Where did the term Iron Law of oligarchy come from?
One of the most famous modern uses of the term occurs in “iron law of oligarchy,” a concept devised by the German sociologist Robert Michels to refer to the alleged inevitable tendency of political parties and trade unions to become bureaucratized, centralized, and conservative.